Why we should stop saying “Parang wala ka sa Pilipinas”

Who among you heard this numerous times? Or found yourself saying this more than once? I can say I’m guilty of the latter. When I commuted to Bonifacio Global City and saw the sleek and tall buildings for the very first time, the first thing that floated in my mind is “Parang hindi ka nasa Pilipinas” Feels like I’m not in the Philippines anymore. It’s like a Dorothy and Toto moment when they arrived to Oz.

The statement is oozing with inferiority over our own country. Sure, it comes as just a passing remark, or something not worth mulling about, but the way it is spoken (in jest or in praise) remains throughout the generations. We are probably bombarded by everyday scenarios of hellish traffics, children begging on the streets, shanties beside rivers and seawalls, pollution, and day by day we’re losing a bit of hope of seeing this country’s true progress. Not just in statistics or graphs or investment upgrades. A true progress that involves maturity of the people and the desire to be part of it. Saying this seems to imply we are nowhere near on achieving that vision, or the belief that this country will remain as it is for generations to come.

I agree totally sentimentalfreak. 🙂 true progress that involves mature people who desire to be part of the progress. When I went to japan, i noticed that there weren’t a lot of trash cans on the streets but vending machines are in almost every corner and yet the streets are pretty clean. Then, it dawned on me that most probably, people keep their litter and throw them at home or wherever they are going. Such a simple and yet important form of dicipline i doubt we’ll ever experience in our country. But don’t get me wrong, i try my best never to litter, even my cigarette butt i pocket until i find a trash can.

The author is a Filipina who writes wild stories as porn and sacred ones as the Bible. She's been writing random things since she was 5. She is an advertising and marketing practitioner who is pursuing the passion to inspire every person in her life through writing.